Avatars in virtual worlds can have a wide range of business and social experiences. Such experiences are becoming more important as business and social transactions are becoming common in virtual worlds such as Second Life®. (Second Life is a trademark of Linden Research in the United States, other countries, or both.) It is important that such virtual environments replicate, as closely as possible, the experiences that individuals have come to expect and appreciate in equivalent physical environments.
In the physical world, social networks are generally understood and propagated verbally, through specific memberships, and through other similar means. In virtual environments, though, it is often difficult to quickly discover varying degrees of social networks or information regarding the members of such networks.